


anything but friends

by buffylovesfaith



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: F/F, enemies to friends to enemies to lovers kinda, sorry if this is all over the place i have too many thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21765733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffylovesfaith/pseuds/buffylovesfaith
Summary: It turns out they can't be friends.
Relationships: Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 8
Kudos: 247





	anything but friends

**Author's Note:**

> So I binged Victorious for the first time on Netflix and now, at 23, I'm obsessed with a ten-year-old, non-canon ship from a kid's show. I need help.

The gang’s all at Karaoke Dokie, and some Northridge girl is making fun of Tori as she energetically hops around on stage. It annoys Jade. She tries to ignore it, because why should she care? But still, it irks her. Not the things the girl is saying, no those are definitely all true. _Annoying_ , _show off_ , _why does she dance like that_ , _her voice’s not even that great_ , yup yup yup. But still, if Tori is going to be getting insulted, it should at least be by someone who knows what singing _is_. These Northridge girls are a joke. Which is why Jade likes to take one for the team and do all the knocking Tori down a peg herself. Who else can do as good a job of it? Jade would kill—actually _kill_ —a person for even thinking _no one’s allowed to be mean to Tori but Jade_...but that’s basically the situation. So what, she has her weird quirks, everyone knows that. Why let anyone steal what has become her main source of entertainment, after all? She’s certainly not going to let some _Northridge_ girl start trying. Tori’s kind of like her property here at Karaoke Dokie and this girl should know not to...wait, what? Okay, that’s a little too weird, even for Jade. She’s just going to forget she thought that.

Jade leans into the girl’s space, intimidatingly as usual. “I suggest you shut your face unless you want to jump up there and prove to everyone what I already know.”

The girl wrinkles her nose at Jade like she smells something rotten. Probably her own cheap body lotion. “Which is?”

“That your singing sounds like a dying seagull. No, wait,” Jade points a finger. “Worse.”

The Northridge girl narrows her eyes, about to deny it before she thinks better. “How do you know what a dying seagull sounds like?”

“Let’s just say I make a point to be there when an animal’s about to have it’s tragic last moments.”

The girl scoffs and hurriedly gets up from her table. “Freak.”

Jade leans back in her chair with a smirk, satisfied with the encounter.

“Aw, Jade! That was so sw—"

“NO!” Jade barks, surprised and irritated. She hadn’t seen Tori get off the stage and rejoin the group.

“But you just defended me.” Tori looks at Jade with what can only be described as puppy dog eyes, a soft smile on her face.

“Please. I just couldn’t stand her nasally voice. I don’t care what anyone says about you. I have worse things to say myself.”

Tori’s face falls a little and she clears her throat. “Like?”

Jade rolls her eyes, aware of the entire group’s attention on her.

“ _Like_ , the song you chose was embarrassing. It sounds like it was written about a twelve year old’s puppy crush. And that shirt is disgusting. It doesn’t flatter you at all. And your breath smelled like tuna this morning.”

“It’s puppy _love_. The phrase is puppy love,” Robbie cuts in with a self satisfied smile.

“Oh, you wish I chose a more flattering shirt?” Tori asks with a glint in her eye. “Something a little more _revealing_ maybe, like the classy ensembles you always wear?”

“Hey!” Jade barks. “Don’t you say anything about—!”

“And why are you looking at my shirt anyway?” Tori cuts in.

“Yeah, Jade, why are you looking at the girl’s shirt?” Andre adds.

Jade rolls her eyes. God this guy, always swooping in to defend his precious little Tori. It’s the one annoying thing about him. “I do what I want.” She backtracks when she sees the groups eyebrows raise simultaneously. “I-I mean I like to look at ugly things sometimes because it makes my eyes burn and Tori—oh screw it.” She gets up from the table dramatically and flounces off, throwing her napkin and knocking over Cat’s water.

“Oh!” Cat exclaims. “She’s upset.”

“Jade’s upset? What’s new?” Rex asks as the whole table laughs. Tori laughs along lightly, pretending she’s paying attention. No, nothing’s new, really, but she can’t help thinking that something subtle is changing. Or maybe she just wants it to be.

*

“Hold out your wrist.”

“You can’t just steal my line, Vega.”

“Just do it!” Tori hisses. “I want to talk to you.”

“Fine,” Jade groans, like it’s a big ordeal to be dragged to the janitor’s closet. “This better be quick.”

“That depends on you,” Tori says once they’re safely inside. She even checks for creepy old men sleeping in the corners.

“Me?”

“ _Yup_. Why didn’t you tell me that you and Beck broke up?"

“Oh….”

“Yeah! You told me last time! Or, well, you didn’t have to tell me, I saw it. But you came to me after! I kind of thought I was the...counselor to this dysfunctional relationship.” Tori ends on a sheepish note. “I guess it’s not actually my business.”

“ _No_ , Tori, it’s not. And besides, I just...haven’t needed counseling this time.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. I’m just not sad about it, I guess. I haven’t really thought about it at all, actually, so why would I tell _you_ about it?”

“Because friends tell each other the things that are happening in their lives, Jade. Do I have to teach you everything?”

“We’re not friends, Tori!” Jade calls as she sails out of the door.

They’re really not friends. Sure, sometimes Jade will confess things to Tori, if she needs someone to unload on. And sometimes they hang out together just the two of them, when no one better’s free. And sometimes Jade will seek Tori out if she needs someone to rip on or laugh at. And yes, Tori’s not as completely horrid as Jade used to think she was, and she can be helpful and loyal and kind of fun...sometimes. She’s not completely awful looking. But that definitely doesn’t mean they’re friends.

*

They’re at Tori’s house, trying to come up with a script idea. Sikowitz made them partners, because of course he did, and let’s just say they don’t work well together.

“That’s an _idiotic_ idea.”

“Well, we can’t always make a horror movie, Jade! People are going to get _bored_.”

Jade gasps, outraged. She actually looks insulted for once. “No one will ever be bored by my movies! Like they want to watch your “quirky”, obnoxious romances over and over?!”

Tori huffs. “Fine. Let’s just...think of something else. Something _neither_ of us do, okay?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, we could do….” She bites her lip, thinking for a moment. “Action?”

“Action?”

“Yeah, like a-a...heist or a robbery film or something. Bad guys. Something exciting.”

“I guess we could do that if you won’t let us make anything better.” But secretly Jade likes the idea. Leave it to Tori to solve the situation. “We could have a few of the robbers get brutally maimed at the end, and we show everything on screen, very realistic and detailed, almost documentary style—"

At the same time Tori’s saying, “And two of the robbers—no, wait, a robber and the pretty bank teller—fall in love despite all odds—"

“No!” Jade exclaims, shaking her head. “Jesus, you’re predictable. And boring. And for someone who never dates you sure seem obsessed with love.”

“Oh, and you’re not predictable? Everyone knows exactly how you’ll react to everything, Jade.” Tori clears her throat, her cheeks coloring slightly. “And I like to stay hopeful. About love.”

“Yeah, good luck with that. I really hope things work out for ya.”

Tori says nothing. She hopes things do too.

Two hours later and they’re trying to block the choreography for the final fight. Kind of difficult when neither of them are like, actual choreographers or stunt performers or anything. They had that stage fighting class and Tori got pushed off a building that one time but that’s basically it.

“No, Tori, like this!” Jade says as she shoves Tori’s body into the right position. “God, I thought you’d be _dying_ to fight me but you’re being a wimp.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve never fought before! I got beat up once in middle school, but that’s….”

“Who was this girl? Tell me her name so I can thank her for her selfless service to society later.”

“Ha ha,” Tori says dryly. “Can we just get back to our project that’s due next week?”

“Fine,” Jade says, grabbing her by the shoulders again. “Now, closer, hold me down! Make it _believable_ for God’s sake.”

Tori complies to Jade, as she usually does, honestly, and pushes harder as she hovers over the dark haired girl, forcing Jade’s body into the carpeting.

“Yeah, like that. Good girl,” Jade purrs.”But make it hurt.”

“What?” Tori’s brain is starting to go a little fuzzy. Maybe from the proximity and Jade’s...confusing tone of voice, probably from when Jade demonstrated on her how to choke someone correctly “for posterity”.

“Come on, the audience needs to see that I’m in pain!”

“Can’t you just...act? That’s what we’re supposed to be doing here!”

“No, I want it to be as real possible! That’s how I always make my stuff. And I _like_ pain, don’t be a scaredy cat!”

“Um….” All Tori can do is mumble as her fingers tighten slightly over Jade’s collarbones.

“Come on, Tori…. Don’t be shy,” Jade whispers for the second time, nose slightly grazing Tori’s ear. Once again Tori is frantically left wondering what Jade means by that. It sounds like...like….

Jade pulls back and she’s staring at Tori and Tori’s staring at Jade. The air between them feels heavy and charged, which it does a lot of the time when they’re together, Tori notes in her hazy state. But that’s just because of the tension that exists between them. Jade smirks, her tongue quickly flicking out and licking her upper lip. She reaches out and grabs a chunk of Tori’s hair, pulling her head back. She darts forward and bites at Tori’s neck, hard. Tori gasps. Jade takes the opportunity to flip them over, grinding her knee into Tori’s hip. She leans over Tori, panting. “And you lost.”

Tori says nothing, just lays there, bewildered and throbbing at the bite mark but not in pain, no definitely not in pain. The fire starts receding from Jade’s eyes and she almost looks a little uncertain, like maybe she even confused herself. “I, um, I have to go. I have better things to do than sit here doing homework with you. You’ll finish the writing for us, right?” Jade demands sharply. “Great.” She gets up and practically runs out the door.

*

Jade’s been meaner, again, ever since the—whatever that was. They haven’t hung out once in weeks, and the past couple of months they had somehow begun a ritual of spending time together at least a few times a week. Tori’s feeling hurt over the whole thing, so she hunts Jade down.

“Hey! West!”

“ _What_?” Jade growls as she slams her locker door open.

“You can’t just ignore me.”

“How am I ignoring you, exactly?” Jade sounds bored.

“Well, let’s see, I haven’t seen you since two Friday’s ago!”

“Okay, and what, you’re dying without me? You’re desperate for my attention, is that it?” She sounds cold, cruel.

Tori scoffs. “No, Jade, I’m not. But if my friend goes missing for two weeks, no calls or texts or visits, yeah, I’m gonna notice and wonder why. Look, we don’t have to talk about—you know, if you don’t want to—"

“There’s nothing to talk about! Sorry that you get all confused when I’m not mean to you for one freaking second. God, you must be a masochist or something.”

Tori crosses her arms. “Fine. Be like that. We’ll forget all about it.”

“Great.” Jade’s already turned back to her locker.

“But I want to hear you say it.”

“What?” Jade turns back, eyes wide and darting frantically around the crowded hallway. Tori can’t possibly be thinking what Jade…

Tori rolls her eyes. “Not that. Say _it_.”

“ _What_?” Jade repeats again, frustrated and maybe even scared.

“What you’ve always refused to say, even now, after…. I need to hear it. You keep...confusing me, and I feel like I’m going crazy. Say it!”

Jade groans dramatically, tilting her head back. “Say _what_?”

“Say. That. We’re. Friends.” Tori practically growls each word. They’re yelling at each other in the school hallways. It’s like sophomore year all over again, except everything’s different this time.

“We’re _not_! Get it through your head, Vega. We’re not friends, and we never will be,” Jade declares nonchalantly as she crosses her arms over her chest, but her cheeks are red and eyes on fire.

Tori just stares at her silently for several moments. She’s quiet so long Jade almost gets freaked out. Finally she speaks. “Really, Jade? This is what you’re doing?”

“ _Really_ , and I’m not _doing_ anything.” Jade’s beginning to feel a little panicky, almost like she’s about to lose at something, but she doesn’t know what.

“Okay.” Tori pauses again. She looks up, a hard expression on her face. “I keep trying to let you in, Jade. To be honest with you about—I’ve always liked you, I’ve always wanted to be your friend, despite your delusions otherwise. And I know you like me too, at least as much as you are capable of liking your other friends, so just don’t even bother,” she says, holding up a hand as she sees Jade open her mouth to interrupt. “But for some reason, you can’t stop this game, thi-this _charade_. You’re just so stubborn. You want to push everyone away, especially me. Maybe because you see how much I’ll try compared to everyone else.” Tori pauses, taking a shaky breath. Jade says nothing, eyes blank. “Well congratulations, because I’m officially giving up. I’m not going to try to get close to you anymore. Honestly I’m exhausted.” Jade scoffs. “You’re going to end up pushing everyone in your life away eventually, and then you’ll have no one.” Jade swallows harshly as Tori’s eyes turn sad. “I think you’ll regret this, Jade. I hope for your sake that you can change.” Tori turns around and just walks away.

Jade can’t help feeling...uneasy. Disappointed, maybe. She never thought that Tori would reach her limit with her. At a certain point, she’d started to trust that Tori would stick around no matter what Jade did to her. This didn’t seem like a bigger deal than “losing” her blood, or sabotaging her pathetic Prome. It was just a loss of control, a fluke, a weird...moment. But she can’t help feeling that she maybe, might have made a mistake. But Tori’s right, Jade is stubborn. She knows if she’s gives up she’ll crumble entirely. So she doesn’t run after Tori.

They don’t talk again.

*

Tori’s walking down the front steps of Hollywood Arts, clutching her cap and gown. She stops for a moment to breath in the balmy, Eucalyptus scented air and look at the sun setting behind the Hollywood Sign. She did it. She really graduated high school. And she has her whole life to look forward to, as scary as that is. She just hopes she can make it a happy and successful one. Right now, in this moment, she feels that she can.

“Wait!”

She’s startled out of her thoughts by someone shouting her name. A voice she already recognizes before she turns around and catches a glimpse of the dark figure hovering off to the side of the Hollywood Arts entrance.

“Jade?”

“So...that was lame, huh? I would’ve thought this place could come up with a graduation ceremony a little more creative that that. But maybe I’m giving it too much credit.”

Tori’s shocked but trying to hide it. They haven’t talked in how many months now, Tori can’t even remember. Since things were over between them. “Jade, I’m about to leave, so….”

“I see that. Got a hot date? Oh wait, what am I saying, it’s you.” And there it is. Tori’s not even surprised.

Tori rolls her eyes and turns briskly on one heel. “Goodbye.”

“Wait, Tori—!” Jade calls out again.

“What do you want?” Tori asks flatly, not sounding like she cares at all. Jade’s not used to that. Tori used to care. One way or another, if she was mad, if she was hurt, if she was hoping for attention or validation or friendship or _something_ , Tori used to care about Jade.

“I….” Jade blows a big breath out. “This may be the last time we ever talk, I mean, of course it will be, so...I just thought I should….”

“Spit it out!” Tori snaps.

“I—I—I hated you from the moment I saw you, Tori.”

“Wow, _seriously_? You wait to the last day of school to tell me _this_? We haven’t talked in a year, and you—you—you know, what, forget it. I don’t need to hear this, I figured that out a long time ago, thanks, so you can just—"

“—I saw you, and you were so pretty, with this perfect body, and had this huge smile on your face, and I knew you were going to take everything from me. Beck, all my friends, all my lead parts in everything. I knew everyone would love you, and _definitely_ like you better than me. Choose you over me."

Tori’s mouth gapes. “Jade, I know you were jealous sometimes, and I’m sorry but—"

“And I was right. Sikowitz seemed to have some obsession with you or something. He was _my_ favorite teacher and used to give me the roles that I wanted! After you came I got jack _shit_. Cat started wanting to hang out with you instead of me. I could always tell Beck had a thing for you, even if he wouldn’t admit it.”

Tori’s face is red and her eyes are gleaming. She’s furious, but she looks like maybe she’s about to cry. “Was that enough of a reason for you to—to throw away what we could have had? I know what it was like when we were alone. We could have been close, closer than anyone! We almost were. So I’m sorry if I got cast in the lead role a few times! I couldn’t help it! And I never stole Beck, we never dated! A-and Cat _always_ tries to hang out with you, just like we all do—did, and maybe if you were a little bit nicer to her—”

“Yeah, and that’s another thing, thanks for reminding me! I hated how _nice_ you were. Even to me. When I didn’t deserve it, it was just _stupid_. Who does that? I hated how eventually it wasn’t us hating each other, but just me hating you. You gave up on our thing, made me look crazy and obsessed.”

“What thing?”

“Our _unspoken_ thing! You know, how we would yell at each other and rile each other up! Mutual hatred! Come on, it was fun!”

“Well, _sorry_ if I wanted more than that!”

Jade pauses at Tori’s words for a moment, practically panting in the cool evening air, before she jolts herself and gets back to what she came here to do. “I hated how you stopped being scared of me. Probably never were. You took that away from me too! My edge. God, you really took _everything_ from me! Ugh!” She’s getting herself worked up, leaning into Tori’s face before she starts whispering, carefully delivering the killing blow.

“But the worst thing you ever did to me...the thing I hate most about you, Tori....”

Tori feels sick, but can’t stop herself from whispering, “what?” She has to know.

“...Is that I don’t hate you. Not at all.”

Tori’s mouth drops, she barely registers as she inhales with a deep gasp.

“ _You_ made that impossible. You always ruin all of my plans! _I_ wanted to be Steamboat Suzy! And _I_ wanted to be chosen for the Platinum Music Awards! And I wanted to hate you so _badly_. So very badly. So thanks for that.” Jade’s words have almost taken on a confusing seductive lilt, the familiar one that both scares and thrills Tori down to her little toes. She’s so shocked by this turn of events all she can get out is a weak “I’m...sorry?”

“Yeah, you should be.” Jade growls. “But...I’m...sorry, too.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, too.” Jade heaves a deep sigh, and for the first time (tonight, maybe ever) she doesn’t sound angry, or annoyed, or flirty. She sounds sad. “I’m sorry. For everything. For being mean and jealous. For being stubborn. For being scared. For wasting our time. For ruining everything. You were right. You were always right, of _course_.”

Tori says nothing, just breathes haggardly. This is what she’s always wanted from Jade. Well, almost.

“That stuff you were talking about?” Jade asks hesitantly.

“What?”

“What we could have had? Is it...too late? Can we be...friends?”

“I...don’t know. Jade, I don’t know,” Tori says breathlessly. “Y-you really hurt me Jade. You shut me down when I tried to get close to you, when I thought we were—We haven’t talked in a year. We don’t know each other now, if we ever did. We’re going to different schools…. It just—”

“Let’s try! Please, pretty please, for me?”

Tori laughs brusquely. “I really don’t see why I should do anything for you, Jade.”

Jade shrugs. “’Cause I’m so cool and hot?”

Tor laughs weakly. “Fine. We can try. But no promises. And on one condition!”

“What?”

“You put in some of the effort this time. Meet me halfway.”

*

It turns out they can’t be friends. They try, they really, really do. They spend lots of time together. They go shopping, they watch movies, they write scripts, they film stuff; they basically bond or whatever. But it’s not long before Tori shyly kisses Jade on the cheek and the neck, and Jade roughly shoves her tongue into Tori’s mouth, not long before Jade’s fucking Tori on her bed while her roommate’s out of town. The verbal abuse turns teasing and intimate, the touches softer but still as electric, and before long they’re anything _but_ friends. And it turns out they do work well together, if not easily. But, Tori thinks, they say nothing worth doing comes easy...or something like that. She laughs.

“I guess you were right all along.”

Jade mumbles in return, her eyes still closed and fluttering after their latest tryst.

“Why, Tori, I do believe this is the first time your sweet lips have ever uttered those words,” Jade trills in her southern belle voice. “Whatever could have possessed you to say that?”

“We’re _really_ not friends.” Tori giggles into her pillow.

Jade rolls over with a growl and hooks her arm around Tori’s waist. “Really, really not. And it’d better stay that way.”

“Oh, it will,” Tori assures as she cuddles into Jade’s embrace. Because Tori’s finally satisfied with her relationship with Jade. She has her, they have each other. It took years and it may not be perfect, but it’s _theirs_. The two of them, together, the way it was always supposed to be. Tori grins sleepily. She knew it.


End file.
